NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Meridian Bioscience today announced that Health Canada has approved for marketing Meridian's molecular assays for Mycoplasma pneumonia and Bordetella pertussis on the company's illumigene platform.

The M. pneumonia test amplifies specific DNA to detect the bacterium and help patients receive appropriate treatment in a timely manner. The B. pertussis test similarly amplifies a specific DNA target to detect that bacterium. It uses nasopharyngeal swab samples and takes less than sixty minutes to report a result.